About the Game

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a brand new mainline Fire Emblem game for the Nintendo Switch. It releases on 26th July 2019 in North America, Europe and Japan.

Three Houses is the first HD Fire Emblem and it’s co-developed by Koei Tecmo of Dynasty Warriors fame–and who developed Fire Emblem Warriors. The character designer for this game is Chinatsu Kurahana.

Story

Three Houses begins a completely new story-line set in the continent of Fodlan. Long ago, the Divine Seiros received a revelation from the Goddess, who now watches Fodlan from above. Presently, Fodlan is controlled and guided by the Church of Seiros.

The continent is also home to three major nations: the Adrestian Empire to the south, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus to the north, and finally the Leicester Alliance to the east. Although these nations were once at war, they currently co-exist in peace.

Your Role

You are the main character of the game, similar to Fire Emblem Fates. At the beginning, you’re a mercenary in a group led by your father. But after an unexpected incident, you’re invited to become a teacher at the officer’s academy in Garreg Mach.

It seems you possess a strange power, which is why the church gave you a recommendation to be a teacher. This may be related to a strange, green-haired girl called Sothis, who can communicate to you from within your mind.

Three Houses

At the officer’s academy, students are divided according to their nationality. Citizens of the empire, such as Edelgard, join the Black Eagles. Those from Faerghus, such as Dimitri, join the Blue Lions. Finally, students from Leicester, including Claude, join the Golden Deer.

These are the three houses that the game’s subtitle refers to. Apparently you will choose to lead one of the three houses, as their teacher. At least to begin with, the students you teach will vary depending on your choice.

School Life

As a teacher, you can set your students’ curriculum. This allows you to increase their aptitudes in weapon types (Sword, Lance, Axe, Bow and Fighting), magic (Reason and Faith), and even leadership or movement type (Armored, Cavalry and Flying). It appears students can learn all aptitudes, but they may perform better or worse in some.

Students seem to start off life in the Noble class, but can switch to a variety of other classes (such as Mercenary, Knight, Thief, Cavalier, Brigand, Archer, Priest and Mage for Edelgard). To do so, they must pass an exam, which can require a specific item and a certain level of aptitude.

Field Practice

It’s not all about studying, sometimes you need to get out and get some practical experience. Occasionally, you’ll be asked to handle tasks such as defeating bandits and quelling rebellions. Although they’re part of your studies, these tasks have real consequences, including death.

The core gameplay functions similarly to past Fire Emblem games. Combat Arts (battle skills) from Echoes make a return. There’s also a new Battalion system, where generic troops (from the Knights of Seiros) follow alongside your units and offer support in battle, depending on their assigned formation.

Special Editions

There’s a few of these. North America, Europe and Japan each get their own special editions that have slightly different contents.